“Ultimately, it’s an enjoyable and accurate adaptation of tabletop wargaming on PC, and a must-have for fans of the genre.”-Angus Baker (The WarGamer)

LONDON – June 14, 2012 – Steel Crown Productions and Membraine Studios are issuing a “call to arms” to wargaming fans worldwide to help complete Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire for PC and Mac. Hosted on Indiegogo, the crowd funding campaign makes it easy for the gaming community to support the franchise’s first foray into computer games. To date, Membraine has invested $47,000 into the game, with 40 percent of the development work completed on the “minimum spec” build.

Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire is a 3D turn-based strategy game that captures the core gameplay of miniatures wargaming. It puts players at a Brigade level—allowing them to control and maneuver infantry, armor companies, and massive super-vehicles such as the mighty Marcovian Behemoth on the futuristic battlefields of the Exodus Wars universe. The game will also include an online mode for players who wish to challenge their friends or top strategists in the Exodus Wars community. Individual battles will contribute to the larger conflict, bringing tabletop dynamics to life on a massive scale.

“It’s incredibly hard to make a game that captures the essence of miniatures wargaming: what units to bring to a battle and the tactics that best serve an overarching strategy,” says Mark Sheppard, producer at Membraine Studios. “That’s where Indiegogo comes in. Crowd funding will allow us to make Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire into the computer game wargamers have always wanted to play.”

The studio’s previous game was 2009’s Orbital Defence for the iPhone, a retro shoot ‘em up with a unique “flick” control mechanic.

About Membraine StudiosMembraine Studios is a three-man team based in Sydney, Australia. The company was founded by Mark Sheppard, Joshua Anderson and Glenn Osmond-McLeod. Mark Sheppard is a veteran of the IT industry with more than 17 years of experience in software production. Coding since the age of 11, Joshua Anderson cut his teeth modding Quake 2 and 3 during his mid-teens; since then, he’s been addicted to code–with extensive experience as a software engineer on leading-edge biomedical and telecommunications devices. After spending six years working as a professional architect, Glenn Osmond-McLeod realized his true calling as a game artist. Working with animation for more than 10 years, Glenn brings extensive experience in music and sound effects production.

About Steel Crown ProductionsSteel Crown Productions is a miniatures design company founded in 2005 with the creation of the Exodus Wars universe. The company specializes in fine-detail models, and is renowned for being among the first indie miniatures producers to use the latest 3D printing technologies for its 6mm and 28mm products.

Membraine has also stated that Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire will be completed whether the Indiegogo campaign succeeds or not. “Whatever happens with our campaign, we’ve been shown that the market really does want this game — so, come hell or high water, WE ARE MAKING IT,” says Mark Sheppard, producer.

If the crowd funding campaign succeeds, the developers will be able to work full-time on the game and deliver an Alpha build in a couple of months. If that’s not the case, Fractured Empire will be delayed but will eventually ship.

Regarding the ability to now offer iPad and Linux support, Mark adds “We are building Fractured Empire on Unity, which is extremely flexible and supports many, many different platforms. We’ll tweak the schedule to take some time away from lesser features and put that effort into the iPad version; specifically, into the touch interface.”

Exodus Wars: Fractured Empire has raised almost $6,000 so far from its $35,000 goal, and has with 15 days left to run. You can view the pitch and the supporting videos (including gameplay and background videos), read about the game and contribute at http://www.indiegogo.com/EWFracturedEmpire.

Gamers on a budget can still help by inviting friends and family on Facebook, Twitter or other social networks to visit the campaign page, and generally spreading the word about Fractured Empire.

About Membraine StudiosMembraine Studios is a three-man team based in Sydney, Australia. The company was founded by Mark Sheppard, Joshua Anderson and Glenn Osmond-McLeod. Mark Sheppard is a veteran of the IT industry with more than 17 years of experience in software production. Coding since the age of 11, Joshua Anderson cut his teeth modding Quake 2 and 3 during his mid-teens; since then, he’s been addicted to code–with extensive experience as a software engineer on leading-edge biomedical and telecommunications devices. After spending six years working as a professional architect, Glenn Osmond-McLeod realized his true calling as a game artist. Working with animation for more than 10 years, Glenn brings extensive experience in music and sound effects production.

About Steel Crown ProductionsSteel Crown Productions is a miniatures design company founded in 2005 with the creation of the Exodus Wars universe. The company specializes in fine-detail models, and is renowned for being among the first indie miniatures producers to use the latest 3D printing technologies for its 6mm and 28mm products.

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